The ashes of the volcano eruption threatens Scotland

Icelandic volcanic ash Grímsvötn could reach the north of Scotland on Tuesday mid-day and part of Great Britain, France and Spain by Thursday or Friday if the eruption continues at the same rate, according to a notice sent Sunday to the airlines.

This warning is based on weather forecasts to five days should be viewed with caution because of changes which might occur between now and then on air currents, officials said European Meteorology.

Sunday, the air traffic control agency Eurocontrol reported in mid-day it did not anticipate any impact on European and transatlantic flights for the next 24 hours at least.

The Grímsvötn, beneath a glacier in southeast Iceland, erupted on Saturday, leaving out a huge plume of white smoke reached an altitude of 20,000 meters.

Its eruption has forced the management of the Icelandic Civil Aviation to order the closure of the main island's airport, Keflavik, located about forty miles from the capital,
Reykjavik.

CASE DSK: Christine Lagarde says she deserves the position of DSK?

According to Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Christine Lagarde? Only the first harbinger of Thursday's resignation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that the possible candidacy of the current French Minister of Economy to the position of CEO of the institution gained credibility - at least in Europe .

"She has a very strong authority, which is vital to find a consensus in negotiations on important issues," said Anders Borg, Swedish Minister of Finance on the British television station Sky News.Christine Lagarde could also benefit from support from Berlin, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung - which qualifies it as "favorite".

Thursday noon, the main "interest" has called for "a gathering of European candidate" without discussing his own case. In France, Secretary of State for Transport, Thierry Mariani, acknowledged Thursday that it would be a "good candidate" but that it will be "difficult". Indeed, the nomination of Christine Lagarde does not have only advantages.

Why would it matter?

A true international stature: Four years spent in Bercy allowed Christine Lagarde to enforce internationally.So much so that in 2009, the influential British economic daily The Financial Times elected "best Minister of Finance of the euro zone."

She knows the situation in the euro area: Europeans want someone like Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has the necessary relations among countries in the euro area to conduct effective negotiations to resolve the crisis of sovereign debt. This is the case of Christine Lagarde, who participated in the development of all successive bailouts - Greece, Ireland, Portugal.

It has the American Fiber: The French minister is not a pure European product. She worked for nearly ten years in Chicago law firm Baker & McKenzie (1995 to 2004), it was one of the leaders.Of dealings with the United States which would not displease overseas because "even if the United States did not appoint the director of the IMF, their influence on the functioning of the institution is important," says Christine Rifflart, an economist at the French Office of Economic Conditions (OFCE), France 24.

She is a woman: Christine Lagarde is currently the only woman among the potential candidates. So far, all directors of the IMF have been men.The accession of the French Minister of Economy at the head of the international organization could be a powerful symbol of "able to forget the origin of European and French Christine Lagarde," Judge Robert Wade, an economist at the London School of Economics at France 24.

Why she would do the trick?

Even France? The current legal woes now former CEO of the Fund are that France is not among the favorites to field a candidate.A disadvantage of the more important since the IMF was established in 1946, four of its ten directors were the French (Pierre-Paul Schweitzer from 1963 to 1973, Jacques de Larosiere from 1978 to 1987, Michel Camdessus from 1987 to 2000 and then Dominique Strauss-Kahn from 2007 to 2011).

Yet a European? Since its inception, the IMF has always been a European director. This is the result of a tacit agreement with the United States, which, in turn, keep your hand on the direction of the World Bank. Emerging countries would like their growing weight in the global economy is finally translated by a director from their ranks.They may therefore be opposed in principle to all those who come from the Old Continent.

The "pan" Bernard Tapie: In France, Christine Lagarde could end up before the Court of Justice of the Republic for "abuse of authority." Indeed, the prosecutor asked in early May, the opening of an investigation. The minister is accused of having done everything to encourage the businessman Bernard Tapie in the dispute between, for over ten ANSl at Credit Lyonnais. The satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaine said Wednesday a report by the Court of Auditors very critical of the Minister of Economy. A political and legal scandal could be fatal to his possible candidacy for the leadership of the IMF.

CUBA: Cubans could again travel abroad

AFP - The Cuban government will allow, for the first time in more than 50 years, tourism trips abroad for Cubans, according to a reform plan released Monday by the authorities.

The government will "consider the provisions that allow Cubans to travel outside as tourists," said one of the 313 economic reform measures adopted in April by a historic congress of the Communist Party of Cuba.

The document released Monday gives no details on how to leave these trips abroad, but formalizes the decision to allow Cubans to travel as part of economic reforms launched by President Raul Castro.

Permission to travel is a key demand of the Cuban population. It is not forbidden to travel, but restrictions are so numerous that very few Cubans are able to do so.

Cubans must obtain such an invitation from the outside and ask for permission, which can be rejected without justification.All steps bureaucratic cost also very expensive for an average salary of around 15 euros per month.

The Cuban government does not publish statistics on travel by Cubans abroad.

SYRIA: "Iran will never allow the regime collapse"

He might live in exile for years, it does not leave Syria eyes. Ribal al-Assad is first, as its name implies, a member of the al-Assad. Her father, Rifat, is well known to Syrians. This is the first former vice president, known for having led the ferocious repression of Hama and Aleppo in 1982. It is also the younger brother of Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria for 30 years. But two years before he died, Hafez al-Assad has his own favorite son Bashar to take over the reins of power. Definitely fell into disgrace in 1998, Rifaat al-Assad was then exiled.

FRANCE 24: More than 230 members of the Baath Party have announced their resignations Wednesday. How do you see the situation in Syria?

Ribal al-Assad: What is happening in Syria is a disaster.Instead of putting in place reforms quickly is by violence that Bashar al-Assad meets with protesters. It's madness. There are people around him who have an interest in what the regime uses force to prevent the reforms to succeed. Bashar al-Assad is particularly taken by two of his cousins. First there is Rami Makhlouf, who is one of the largest fortunes in Syria, and his brother Gen. Hafez Makhlouf. They have everything to lose in these revolts since it is they who control the Syrian economy.

FRANCE 24: But President Bashar al-Assad can continue to ignore the events?

Ribal al-Assad: You know, all alone, Bashar al-Assad can not do anything.Constitutionally, it combines the functions of president, chairman of the Baath Party and army chief, but in reality it is nothing. And it did not grip his father Hafez al-Assad. Moreover, he accuses foreign powers of being behind the demonstrations. This is absurd. The Syrians saw what happened in Tunisia, Egypt, or even in Yemen. They want to live in a democracy.

FRANCE 24: The opposition in Syria is not structured. There is no party may take overnight relay of the Baath party. How then to consider a peaceful transition to democracy?

Ribal al-Assad: The protesters are peaceful. This is the regime that uses violence.Next, we need all the political sensitivities are represented: the Kurds, opponents in exile as well as all minorities ... The ruling clan brandishes the threat of a sectarian war in order to allow the Iranians to call for help. Tehran is close to the al-Assad. The fall of President Bashar al-Assad would undermine its influence in the region. Besides, I do not see a scenario in Egyptian occur. Iran will never let the regime collapse.

FRANCE 24: You're the cousin of Bashar, the son of Rifaat, former Syrian vice president and younger brother of Hafez al-Assad ... Do not you think that the Syrians want to turn the page of the al- Assad?

Ribal al-Assad: My father Rifaat al-Assad is a respected, you know.I live in exile since the age of 9 years, and nobody ever wanted to leave my father Rifaat al-Assad nor his family live in peace in Syria. An example: in 1994, I had to go study at Boston University. Officers tried to kill me at the airport in Damascus. But the military has recognized my father who accompanied me, and that's why they could not kill me. My father was very popular in Syria, especially in the army. We have been unjustly accused. Moreover, the Syrian regime even accused me of being in Lebanon, alongside Saad Hariri, the Prime Minister. This same information is reflected by the website Al-Manar Hezbollah. This is nonsense.As for my father, is accused of having sent troops to Hama in 1982, but this is false. He also refused to endorse these responsibilities. All that has been mounted. My father still has many adherents in all faiths.

FRANCE 24: You are chairing a London-based NGO, the Organization for Democracy and freedom in Syria. Does that mean you think you can embody a political alternative to the Baath Party?

Ribal al-Assad: I was among the first to call for democracy, true. I also chairs the television channel ANN (Arabic News Network), whose regime has tried to prevent the broadcast. But I do not want to go to Syria to found a political party.Now, for me it is very simple: I have family that I have not seen in years. I want to live like we can live in France or the United Kingdom: Security in beside her. The only solution is democracy.

AUTOMOTIVE: The number 2 Renault resigned

Reuters - In accepting the resignation of Patrick Pelata, Renault stops the ascent of one who had reached the number two position in the group, but hopes to put an end to the matter of fake spy poisoned for several months in preserving at the same time the CEO Carlos Ghosn.

Patrick Pelata announced in early March that the manufacturer would take the diamond "all the consequences, to the highest level of business is to say to (himself)" on error in the case of industrial espionage in which the group considered itself a victim.

"At first it's Patrick Pelata which seems to be to shield the CEO," then told Reuters a source close to Renault."So as they say in any case, it
have fuses. "

However, during the first board of directors special March 14, after which Renault had admitted his error and apologized to the three frameworks
wrongly accused, the resignation of Chief Operating Officer, aged 55 and right arm of Carlos Ghosn, was denied.

This time, when a new board devoted to the extraordinary preliminary findings of internal audit on the dysfunctional mess that made possible its
resignation was accepted.

"It's a loss for Renault, as number two Pélata did a solid job in steering the company in recent years," said Stuart Pearson
auto analyst at Morgan Stanley.

"This casts doubt on the practical implementation of the strategic plan that has only just been announced - Pélata would have been one of the principal architects.Difficult to say
immediate successor thereto. "

The departure of chief operating officer could save Carlos Ghosn, although it has always supported the accusations of espionage while claiming not to have held the record details.

Carlos Ghosn launched in February a new strategic plan for Renault to six years and few of them, internally, among analysts at the State or shareholder, who seem ready to consider leaving.

IRAN: Former President Rafsanjani rejected the leadership of the Assembly of Experts

Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has lost Tuesday a key position within the government, ceding the presidency of the Assembly of Experts Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani, a religious conservative Iranian news agencies reported.

Mr Rafsanjani had said in his speech at the opening session of the Assembly of religious experts that would not stand for the position if the candidacy of Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani.

The Assembly of religious experts, which has 86 members, is responsible for appointing, monitoring and eventually dismiss the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Mahdavi Kani, influential religious conservative who was Prime Minister for a year shortly after the Islamic revolution in 1979, aged 80.

Mr.Rafsandajani, moderate conservative who was president of the Islamic Republic for eight years (1989-1997), has for several months the target of a broad political offensive of the ultra-conservatives, who accuse him of having supported the opposition in the reformist crisis that followed the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009.

It takes yet another important position within the regime, as Chairman of the Expediency Council, which advises the guide and arbiter in disputes between parliament and government. But there is appointed directly by Supreme Leader.

CHINA: Beijing acknowledges discontent and wants to tackle inflation

Premier Wen Jiabao said Saturday that his government's priority was to fight against inflation and a recognized public discontent, while setting a growth target of 8% for 2011, in a speech to parliament.

"We have to consider price stability as the priority of our macro-economic control," said the head of government before the nearly 3,000 delegates to the NPC, met for ten days in the Chinese capital, according to the translation his official speech in French.

He described the price rise and inflation expectations "problems which are closely the standard of living of the population, the overall situation and stability of the country."

The aim of rising consumer prices, which reached 4.9% in January over one year was set at "4%" for 2011, against 3% last year, while the objective of growth of gross domestic product (GDP) was maintained at 8%.

China's GDP in 2010 became the world's second largest behind the United States, surpassing that of Japan.

This year, the Chinese government "will continue to pursue a policy of recovery", but by reducing the budget deficit will be contained in "about 2% of GDP."

Priority spending will be devoted to "rural development", "to improve the level of the population and develop the social sectors," according to this discourse that determines the main directions for the country's official year.

"Some issues are subject to strong reactions among the population have not been completely resolved," admitted the Prime Minister.

"The educational resources and lack of quality medical and their distribution is uneven," he detailed.

"The property prices have experienced an excessive increase in some cities," continued Mr.Wen wants to boost the construction of social housing.

He further stressed that "social contradictions raised by the illegal requisition of land and demolition of illegal houses have multiplied," that "food security is poor" and that "some sectors are vulnerable to corruption."

China also wants to continue to "improve the formation mechanism of RMB exchange rate," considered undervalued by its major trading partners, but without making any specific commitments.

Always fight against inflation, it wants to implement "a prudent monetary policy" by limiting to 16% increase in money supply M2 (broad money comprising currency in circulation, deposit accounts and accounts of savings).

The National Popular Assembly (ANP) is the largest parliament in the world. She just basically endorse Communist Party projects and the government.

This body meets only once a year in plenary session for ten days in March.